The long-awaited West Tisbury town hall renovation will begin later this month.

The town hall will be closed at noon Sept. 18 and will reopen on Sept. 23 with offices relocated in trailers and the old library. All town offices will be closed between those dates. Anyone with questions may call executive secretary Jennifer Rand at 508-696-0102.

At their regular meeting on Wednesday this week, selectmen discussed what should be done to keep the public informed during construction of the new town hall, which will last 18 months. Ms. Rand said she has received phone calls from residents concerned about parking and traffic during construction.

She conceded that the work site will present difficulties both for town officials and the public.

“It is what it is. The trailers will be there for 18 months, and they are ugly. You can’t put enough lipstick on them,” she said.

Chairman Jeffrey (Skipper) Manter suggested a sign be put up near the site alerting the public to the work being done. “Sometimes a little personal touch goes a long way,” he said.

Selectmen also discussed the possibility of writing an open letter to Island newspapers with information about new developments regarding the new town hall.

Last month, selectmen voted to award the bid for the construction to J.K. Scanlon of East Falmouth after the company came in with a price approximately $600,000 lower than expected.

After three tries, West Tisbury voters approved the $5.2 million town hall renovation project at their annual town meeting in April. The approved plan was the third attempt in four years to renovate the 130-year-old mansard-roofed former school house.

Voters approved $3.7 million for the project in 2004, but later balked at a large projected cost overrun in 2005. The project then went back to the drawing board.

Current plans call for the renovation and restoration of the building, as well as the construction of an addition, new parking areas, landscaping and other improvements. The project will be paid for by a combination of borrowing and community preservation act funds.